MLB Player News

Gibson (personal) was activated from the bereavement list Thursday.

The veteran right-hander missed his scheduled turn through the rotation Tuesday while on the bereavement list due to a death in his family, but he's now rejoined the team ahead of Thursday's series opener versus the Nationals. Gibson is scheduled to take the mound Friday, while trade-acquisition Noah Syndergaard starts Thursday's contest.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Flaherty (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session in St. Louis this weekend and could be cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as next week, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty was shut down with the strained right shoulder June 27 and was transferred to the 60-day injured list a couple weeks later, but Marmol said Thursday that he remains hopeful the Cardinals ace can return when first eligible in the final week of August. Before the Cardinals map out a rehab assignment that will likely consist of at least two starts in the minors, Flaherty will first have to escape his upcoming bullpen session without any setbacks. Since Flaherty and Steven Matz (knee) are both weeks away from potential returns, the Cardinals made addressing their rotation depth a priority ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline and ultimately swung deals with the Pirates and Yankees to acquire Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery, respectively.

Houser (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville this weekend, with his first start coming Saturday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Per McCalvy, Houser is scheduled to pitch just two innings Saturday, so he'll likely require at least one or two additional rehab outings to get stretched back out to a normal starter's workload. With Freddy Peralta (lat) making his return from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Milwaukee will have its Opening Day rotation back to full strength whenever Houser is deemed ready to go. Though Aaron Ashby (4.13 ERA, 1.45 WHIP in 80.2 innings) has performed marginally better than Houser (4.72 ERA, 1.48 WHIP in 76.1 innings) this season, the Brewers' desire to manage Ashby's workload should help Houser's case for reclaiming the No. 5 starter's role.

Bassitt (8-7) earned the win against the Nationals on Wednesday, allowing zero runs on six hits while striking out four and walking one over seven innings.

Bassitt was lights out Wednesday, throwing 70 of 94 pitches for strikes across seven frames. Despite allowing six hits and a walk, he was able to keep the Nats off the board. This was Bassitt's seventh quality start in his last eight appearances. Over that span, the righty has lowered his ERA from 4.01 to 3.61.

Strider does not have an innings cap this season, and Atlanta has no immediate plans to shift him back to the bullpen despite the addition of Jake Odorizzi at the trade deadline, Maria Torres and David O'Brien of The Athletic report.

Strider has been spectacular as a rookie this season, posting a 3.02 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 96:21 K:BB through only 62.2 innings since moving into the rotation in late May. The 23-year-old righty tossed 96.1 innings across all levels in 2021 and is quickly approaching that figure this season, causing concerns about his workload, but as yet he isn't showing any signs of fatigue and Atlanta has no intention of removing him from the rotation until it seems necessary. Odorizzi does give the club some insurance in case Strider or another young pitcher falters down the stretch, but for now the veteran hurler will work as a sixth starter and swing man.

Anderson will remain in the rotation despite Atlanta's addition of Jake Odorizzi at the trade deadline, Maria Torres and David O'Brien of The Athletic report.

Anderson has struggled this season, posting a 4.99 ERA and 1.50 WHIP through 20 starts and 101 innings, but for now Odorizzi is viewed as a sixth starter and a swing man, not a replacement for the 24-year-old right-hander. Anderson has also been a little more consistent of late, allowing two runs or fewer runs in four of his last five outings, although the fifth start featured a seven-run implosion against the Angels. Should he regress again down the stretch, manager Brian Snitker could well swap roles between the two, but for now Anderson will stay on turn.

Morton didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Phillies, allowing three hits and a walk over 6.2 scoreless innings. He struck out eight.

The veteran right-hander was in vintage form, generating 18 swinging strikes among his 101 pitches and exiting the game with Atlanta holding a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, Morton was denied his sixth win of the year when Collin McHugh imploded in the eighth inning. Morton has delivered six quality starts in his last nine outings, posting a masterful 2.40 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 68:17 K:BB through 56.1 innings over that stretch.

Cobb (3-6) was tagged with the loss against the Dodgers on Wednesday, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out eight batters.

Cobb notched his fifth quality start over his past six games, but he hasn't earned a single victory over that stretch. In fact, the right-hander has picked up three losses despite posting a solid 3.38 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across the six games, and he hasn't earned a win since mid-May. Cobb nonetheless has been productive of late in fantasy leagues -- especially those that don't count wins -- as he's racked up 25 strikeouts over his past 18 innings.

Urias (11-6) earned the win over San Francisco on Wednesday, allowing seven hits and no walks while striking out six batters over six scoreless innings.

Urias retired the first 11 batters he faced in the contest and allowed only one extra-base hit overall. He loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh inning before being pulled, but Evan Phillips came to the rescue and kept the Giants off the scoreboard. Urias continued a strong stretch during which he has allowed only three runs while posting a 23:2 K:BB over 26 innings across his past four starts. He's won all four of those outings and has earned a win in eight of his past nine starts overall.

Snell (4-5) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out nine batters over six innings.

Snell was dominant in the victory, racking up 14 swinging strikes and holding the Rockies to just one extra-base hit. The southpaw capitalized on San Diego's five-run first inning to cruise to his third straight win and fourth over his past five contests. That has brought his record up to 4-5 on the season after he opened the campaign without a victory through his initial eight starts. Over his past three appearances, Snell has posted a 1.06 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB across 17 frames.